"Got the amp this Friday and I got to try it on band practice Saturday.  My expectations were exceeded man.  There's plenty of headroom and the volume, I was literally blown away.  This amp is LOUD!!!  I was hesitating on getting an 18 watt amp but you made me a believer.  I was easily converted.  I immediately sold all my effects this weekend.  Talk about pure Valve burning tone!

I can't compare it to the other amps I have owned because it has it's unique tonal character on its own.  The amp cuts through anything in my band, even if our drummer is a heavy hitter.  I use to sacrifice tone to be able to be heard through the mix, but with the HS-18 no tone is lost.

Plenty of volume for a medium size gig with around 250 heads.  I don't know about the big gigs, but what the heck there is always the PA to mic the amp or maybe I'll get your 30 watter when you bring them out.

Thank you Don!  Stay true to your vision."

How much is the Heatseeker HS-36?  This with the HS18 would be the ultimate match for large gigs.

I just gigged with the HS-18 and a Vox AC30 head A/B.  I cranked the HS-18 all the way up at the Burn position for my crunch and added a Bad Bob booster for my high gain sound.  Man, what a sound!  

I used the AC30 for my cleans.  I like the clean sound of the HS-18 better, but it just doesn't have enough headroom for a large gig.  Regarding the clean sound, the HS-18 is kinda in the middle of a Fender and a Vox, punch with a hint of jangle.

If I can afford to buy the HS-36, the AC30 is going to be auctioned on eBay.  For ten years I have been using Fender, Vox and Marshall reissues.  None of them comes close to the tone of the Mack, yet they are at the same price range

“Picture it if you will... we're playing in a restaurant bar in beautiful downtown Ajax.  The keyboard player stands on it and everything disappears in full-spectrum wash of electronic hash.  Arghhh...  it's the '80s again.  My PRS via my new Mack Music Systems Heatseeker, though, cuts through it all with a warm, articulate, mid-rangey tone that belies its 18 watts.  These are, after all, tube watts.  The Heatseeker is in no way a forgiving amp.   It is very sensitive to your touch and if you're struggling with technique, it will happily rat you out.  It rewards, though, with great string articulation and note definition.  This is a great little amp that goes toe to toe with high-buck boutique jobs.  Get 'em while they're hot.  And they are hot!”

“I was leery about using an 18 watt amp at this annual fund-raiser gig. We don't mike the amps, so I usually use a 100 watt Music Man combo at this venue. But the Heatseeker sounded great and seemed to have plenty of headroom during our rehearsals. So I figured what the hell...

Well, the Heatseeker completely blew me away. It had the clarity and lots of nice EL84 chime to handle chords without becoming muddy or distorted and I love the way the bottom end holds together at high volume. I could nail that sexy blues tone where you've got both some clean and dirt happening at the same time. Open up the guitar's volume and the ZZ Top stuff sounded perfect. With a little boost from my Blues Driver, I had single notes blooming into controlled feedback. Awesome!

I'm not a fan of amps with a bunch of tone-sucking extra features, but I'm finding the Heatseeker’s three position "Character" switch to be handy. The tone shaping it adds is subtle but I find it useful when switching from guitars with single coils to humbuckers.

The Heatseeker is an amazing amp. Especially for the price.”

I’m pictured here at home with my Heatseeker and a few of my guitars. From my far right there’s my National Delphi Deluxe, my Gibson Les Paul Supreme, my Strat and, my Gibson doubleneck. I’m holding my Gibson L4 CES.

I’ve been playing for many years (30ish) and enjoy playing many styles of music (hence all the different axes). I’ve also owned many amps (Sunn, Marshall, Fender, Line6) over the years. During that time, I have settled on certain tones that I really like and the Heatseeker delivers those tones with no muss, no fuss.

I really like the Heatseeker for a number of reasons:

1. It’s easy to use, not overloaded with so many features that I can’t possibly use them all. It’s a straight forward amp with GREAT tone. Any features I want to add I just hang effects pedals off the amp.
2. The price is very reasonable for what you’re getting. Great value.
3. Did I mention tone? You bet it has great tone! I can go from loud “punch and crunch” using my Les Paul (and it can get LOUD!) to smooth jazz tones to a really nice blues tone using my National (outfitted with a Highlander pick-up)
4. Mack Music Systems was really easy to work with

The Heatseeker holds it’s own against the other amps I’ve owned. My biggest endorsement for the amp is this: I’d buy another one if the one I’ve got ever went missing…it’s an important part of my tone and I’d hate to be without it. If you get a chance to play one, you won’t be disappointed.

- Mike, Edmonton Alberta